We knew it was only a make a difference of time just before Lenovo began introducing new configurations of its quite-well known, small-priced Flex 5 Chromebook. I honestly believed the 1st new configuration to go on sale in this article in the US would probably be the even decrease-value Celeron 5205U version, but it seems lesser config improvements are out there in the wild that don’t show up on Lenovo’s individual landing page for the Flex 5 Chromebook, and a person of individuals variants has landed at Costco.

Store the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook at Chrome Shop

This unique variation is geared up with most of the similar stuff our evaluate device was, such as a backlit keyboard, upward-firing speakers, convertible kind element, reliable establish, and a superior monitor. The large adjust in the Costco version is the upgraded internal storage. Instead of the 64GB of eMMC storage the $409 product comes with, you get double that in the kind of NVMe – a substantially speedier alternate to the a lot more entry-amount eMMC storage at the moment obtainable on the typical product. The improve will come at a selling price hike, but only by $70 ($479) for a much a lot quicker, larger-quality storage remedy that also takes place to double your room. Oh, and it isn’t just for Costco customers, but you’ll have about a $25 price slapped on if you are not one, so just take that into consideration.

Although I, for just one, would really like to see this accompanied by a RAM enhance as perfectly, it at the moment seems like Lenovo is maintaining the 4GB throughout the board on the US variants of this Chromebook for now. I just can’t for the lifetime of me recognize why that is the case, but I assume 8GB of RAM with 128GB of eMMC (not a ton of need for the quicker, additional-costly NVMe for most users) storage would be possible for $499 and would make this Chromebook even more formidable than it already is. Even though we’re inquiring for matters, I’d also appreciate to see the good 300-nit display screen that is supposed to ship with the i5 design we’ve nevertheless to see here in the US display up in a single of these upgraded versions. A brighter screen, double the RAM and double the storage for close to $499 and I think Lenovo would have a comprehensive flagship killer on its palms.

As it sits now, the $409 Flex 5 is continue to a much better offer for the greater part of consumers more than this $479 model at Costco. Unless you need to have more quickly storage and far more of it for some individual job, the 64GB of eMMC on the $409 model is additional than adequate for virtually anything at all you will want from a Chromebook. When storage receives this type of upgrade, you anticipate other issues to phase up with it, but that is not the circumstance with this individual up grade.

Both way, it is exciting to see other configurations of this Chromebook start out delivery as I’m nonetheless holding out hope that either the i5 design with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of NVMe storage is headed to the US at some level in the foreseeable future or they select to simply insert those people upgrades to current i3 product. With the much better exhibit panel that they clearly have available for this system and a board with 8GB of RAM, the Main i3 holds its own and pairing it up with extra RAM, additional storage, and a brighter display could very easily make the case for one of the finest Chromebooks on the marketplace irrespective of rate.

Store the Lenovo Flex 5 Chromebook at Chrome Shop